


the mission isn't over

by trappedoutside124



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Marvel Universe, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 22:13:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14458896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trappedoutside124/pseuds/trappedoutside124
Summary: IW SPOILERS-----------What happens on Titan when Nebula and Tony are left there alone. Angst with a little bit of hope at the end.





	the mission isn't over

Tony held what used to be the body of Peter Parker in his hands and closed his eyes. All that was left was dust, floating in the wind. There was nobody else left, save him and Nebula. 

Thanos had won. 

Tony rocked back and forth, panic rising in his throat. He began to sob; he couldn't help it. It was quiet at first, just rivers of tears spilling down his eyes. Then the sobs began to rack his body. Then came the screams. 

Pepper popped into Tony's mind, only sending him reeling even further. They were supposed to be getting MARRIED. What was she thinking right now? He should've listened to her; he should've gone back. 

Now, Tony was inconsolable. He was shaking and crying and screaming until his throat was raw. Who could blame him? Thanos had won. At least half of the universe was destroyed. How did he even know Pepper was still alive? His nightmares--the ones he had been seeing since the attack on New York, the ones that had prompted him to sign the Sokovia Accords, the ones that he had so desperately been trying to push down and get rid of and get over--had come true. And in that moment, he wished he had died too. 

Nebula, despite her robotic nature, understood his pain. They were stranded; they were alone. Her awful, demonic, mad Titan of a father had finally gotten what he'd wished and he'd killed her sister while doing it. Nebula ached all over whenever she thought that Gamora was dead. They had just started treating each other like sisters, and now Gamora was gone. She put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. 

The two of them stayed there on Titan like that for a while. Tony, sobbing and rocking back and forth, and Nebula, silent with her head between her knees. In a haze, Tony looked up and saw something red on the ground in front of him. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. Upon looking again, he saw it was a piece of a cape. The red cape that Dr. Strange wore and Thanos had ripped. And in that moment, Tony knew. 

The world seemed to slow down. Tony thought back to what Strange had told him when they got to Titan. "I've looked through all 14 million possible futures to see if there is one where we beat Thanos. And there is one, singular future where we win." Strange knew the path they had to take. 

Then, he had given up the time stone, something that Strange told Tony he would never do. In the moment when Strange gave it up, all Tony could focus on was stopping the bleeding from his puncture wound. Now, Tony began to understand. Strange wouldn't have just given up the time stone to save Tony; he wasn't that sentimental. No, Strange knew something. Something Tony didn't. 

Tony began to stop shaking as his mind began to whir and click. So, Strange knew something. He knew something Tony didn't, and he knew that there was only one path they could take to stop the Titan. And then there were the last words Strange had said before he disintegrated like Peter. "We're in the end game, now."

Boom. It clicked. 

"We didn't lose!" Tony yelled, whipping around to face Nebula, "We didn't lose, not yet." Nebula lifted her head and stared at the man. 

"Are you crazy? Did you not just see everyone else but us disappear?"

"Strange knew the timeline. He knew what needed to be done to be able to stop Thanos. That's why he gave the time stone up willingly. Our mission isn't over yet."

With a grimace, Tony got to his feet and looked around. There were spare parts everywhere; he was willing to bet he and Nebula could tinker around and find a way off this planet. He began to shuffle through the metal on the ground, meticulously avoiding the piles of dust everywhere. 

Nebula sighed and got up too. "Say I believe you. What's our next move?"

Tony stopped and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He could feel the panic bubbling in his stomach again, the imaginary noose around his neck tightening. He didn't know exactly what to do; only that Strange knew this was the way it had to be done. There was only one rational thing Tony could think of doing right now, one place he knew he had to go. 

"Home. We're finding a way off this planet, and we're going home."

"Where's home?" Nebula replied, still unsure.

Tony turned around and looked at her. "Earth. Earth is home."

And so they began to tinker.

**Author's Note:**

> Meant to be angsty with a little bit of hope at the end. Strange knew what he was doing, now we just have to wait until Avengers 4 to figure it out!


End file.
